For years the girls' art ended up in a box in the garage. I knew I couldn't keep it forever but didn't know what to do with it after its week in the hall of fame (aka hung on the fridge) so my indecision led to clutter. I don't know if I've ever talked here about how ridiculously cluttered our old house had gotten but, well YIKES--like beginning stages of hoarders. So yeah trying to avoid that by having a place for everything. Cue Chatbooks. They make it quick, easy, and inexpensive to preserve your child's artwork sans-clutter. Here's how I do it.

I've always been enamored with thrift shopping. The whole 'used' factor doesn't creep me out one bit and lately as I learn more about clothing waste and ethical shopping (mostly from my rock star friend Molly) I'm even more motivated to shop second hand. Add to that a 'cause,' and well I'm a goner. In this case, the thrift store is Recovered Treasures and it supports an organization called Healing Transitions. Healing Transitions is a nonprofit recovery facility for homeless individuals with alcohol and other drug problems. Their mission is to break the cycle of poverty and addiction by providing a peer based recovery program, at no cost to participants. One of the things I love about Recovered Treasures is that 100% of the proceeds from my purchase, helps support Healing Transitions. If that's enough to convince you to hop aboard the thrift store train, today I'm sharing what to look for at a thrift store!